This past weekend my husband and I had the exquisite pleasure
of taking a weekend trip to Munich—the
famous party-city in Germany. The last time I entered Bavaria was in 1998.
At the time, I was with my family and we stayed in the city of Garmisch. Like
the average tourist who visits Southern Germany, we had made a day trip to
visit the Neuschwanstein Castle. However, since I was with my family and
relatives of non-drinking Protestant sort, we never did make it into the
beer-guzzling city of Munich. I wonder why.
My husband and I were looking for a short, frivolous getaway.
Thankfully, transportation in Europe is done with supreme ease. Even if you
book a train at the last minute, it seems you can still find options to go anywhere—provided
you are willing to stand. We caught the Ice
train in Mannheim which took us straight to Munich. We even passed through
the village of Ulm, the town where Einstein was born.
We arrived in Munich in the early afternoon which gave us
plenty of time to explore the city square. Once off the train we walked our way
through the bustling train station and out onto the streets of Munich. Munich is a large city—roughly 150,000 in
population. I learned that the people of Bavaria proudly see themselves as
almost separate from the rest of Germany—think Texans and the United-States—only that Bavarians are not Protestant
Bible-Thumpers. In Bavaria the
locals are patriotic, conservative and largely Catholic. Their unique cultural heritage is a result of
being separate from Germany until only 100 years ago.
Women with model-looking bodies are seen on all corners of
the streets. Everyone is toned, youthful, glowing and smiling.
Thankfully, our hotel was located walking distance from the
main city square. After dropping off our bags in our hotel room, we wandered
into the city center. We passed gangs of tourists and locals all jostling their
way into the town-square for Friday-night escapades. We walked by countless trinket shops and
clothing stores specializing in dirndls—the traditional dress of German women.
I even found a sushi spot nestled in the heart of the city—not too bad!
I would highly recommend walking by the Munich Rathaus. Architecturally, this building stuns with
richly ornate flare and at times, seems almost gothic. Like Notre Dame, it has gargoyles
peeping out from all corners; definitely a captivating visual experience! Also,
in the square you will come across several fountains with erected stone statues
in the middle. I randomly notice that a Merman statue sits in the middle of one
fountain and squirts water at a little boy.
There are also a couple accessible cathedrals in the town-square that
are free and absolutely worth a peak inside!
Munich Rathaus
That night we found our way into the Augustiner Keller and Biergarten—an authentic hot-spot that you
must visit while in Munich. Once you enter through the gate you weave your
way through the sprawling Biergarten full of Friday night locals all sitting on
picnic tables in this outdoor garden. My eyes were grabbed by the variety of sparkling
amber brews and assortment of beer glasses positioned all over the tables.
We decided to eat indoors. The beer hall was enormous! We
sat at a long, wooden picnic table and then ordered typical Bavarian fare. In
less than 40 minutes the beer hall filled up and became a rowdy, cantankerous
joint though sans an accordion player. It was a fun place to observe the locals
clanking their beer glasses with each other and having a good time.
The next day we made a short trip to
Salzburg, Austria. For music lovers, this place is famous for being
Mozart’s hometown and for many an
American, it is famous for its various scenes in the 1965 musical, “The Sound
of Music”. WE LOVED SALZBURG! It is
definitely my favorite smaller city that I have visited in Europe.
In the old town section of Salzburg, Austria.
The old town of Salzburg is of delightful, quaint beauty.
The streets are narrow and the buildings and storefronts are packed tightly
together. There is an old graveyard in the center of the old city and above the
city stands a fortress (Hohnensalzburg Castle) which we never made it to.
Beautiful graveyard in Salzburg, Austria. The Hohnensalzburg Castle stands in the background.
MEETING MICHAEL MOORE
After our Salzburg day-trip we headed back to Munich. We
were just entering our hotel when we saw a group of 4-5 people standing in the
lobby, checking in. As we passed my
husband muttered under his breath, “Looks
like Michael Moore”. How random
could that be that a famous, controversial documentary filmmaker would be
staying in the same place as us? I turned around, taking a closer look and
exclaimed, “That IS Michael Moore”. Michael Moore, hearing his name, turned
around and glanced at us. Sure enough, it was him. We made a dash for the
elevator. Neither of us are major Michael Moore fans but it was quite random
(and surprising) to see that he was staying in the same hotel that we were and on the same weekend.
That night we secretly hoped to pass by him again but of no
luck. My husband and I went downstairs so that he could get a drink at the
restaurant bar. The bar maid accidentally spilled beer all over his pants and
shoes.
In the morning we were offered free breakfast in the hotel
since the bar maid soaked (and stained) my husband’s shoes in beer. Free food is free food.
Coincidentally, I stood right behind a GIANT (Michael Moore) in the breakfast buffet line who was heaping himself to lots of eggs and bacon. He had a specialty glass with orange juice and 2 sliced oranges adorning the rim. He was wearing a black t-shirt, sweat pants and an old ratty baseball hat. It felt odd that no one else seemed to recognize who he
was. Then again, it seemed like we were the only Americans at this hotel. My husband hadn't noticed my location yet, when he
caught site who I was standing by, he smiled brightly.
Confidently he walked right up to
Michael Moore and asked, “So when can I be expecting your next documentary?”. Michael Moore seemed very enthusiastic that
finally someone recognized him. He even pulled us over to the side of the
breakfast room and told us that he was in Munich filming a documentary that
will be entitled something like “Invade”…forgot the exact title. His documentary will highlight "Some of the things that Europe does right...and should be incorporated into America (trains, health care etc)" He was quite
affable, down-to-earth and actually, rather sweet. He was more than willing to
talk to random strangers like us.
I wanted so badly to make a YOUTUBE video where I interviewed Michael Moore but I was too timid to ask. (He actually talked to my husband for quite a while). He was very approachable though and not pretentious or "I'm better than you" in the slightest! Next time I will be more apt to take up this kind of an opportunity, so beware!
